


It all started with a broken collarbone

by mookitano10



Series: broken bones series [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-02-07 18:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1909191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mookitano10/pseuds/mookitano10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is stuck in the emergency room waiting to see a doctor one evening when he meets a certain blond with a temper and a broken collarbone. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Inspired by scamdal's tumblr post about different AU's to try.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It all started with a broken collarbone

Merlin couldn’t believe how ridiculous this whole situation was. He’d been sitting in the ER for the past hour waiting for a doctor to see him. He was really starting to regret taking that job in New York. The health care system in the states was rubbish and he had no idea how he was going to pay for this. Also he missed his friends and family, especially his mum. If he were back home she would have been right there with him, worrying and holding his hand while the doctor stitched him up (Not that he’d need her to hold his hand or anything like that. He was a grown man he could handle a little needle. But it still would have been nice to have her there for company). 

An angry voice across the room pulled Merlin out of his thoughts. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who thought that the wait time for emergency medical attention was total bollocks. The voice belonged to a tall, well built, blond. Merlin couldn’t help but admire the man’s backside. 

“Are you kidding me? I have to wait two fucking hours to see a doctor? Can’t you see I’m in pain?” The man was gingerly cradling his right arm as he yelled at the woman behind the desk. 

Without batting an eye she handed him a clipboard with forms to fill out and then promptly dismissed him. 

“Bring those back when you’re done and we’ll see what we can do about that arm.” 

The man huffed and stomped away from the desk towards the only empty chair, which happened to be the one next to Merlin. He sat down heavily in the chair and then winced when the movement jarred his injured arm, the whole time glaring daggers at the woman. 

Merlin looked away from the man and tried to concentrate on holding the bunched up wad of gauze to the gash on his forehead. Despite the amount of pressure he’d been keeping on the cut it was still bleeding profusely. He wondered how much blood he’d have to lose before they considered it a “real emergency.” There was a huff from the man next to him and a few whispered curses. 

“How the hell am I supposed to fill these out when I can’t use my right arm?” The man mumbled to himself. 

“Do you need some help?” Merlin asked.

He tried to deny at first but after a moment of consideration realized that he’d never be able to fill out the paperwork on his own. The blond reluctantly relinquished the clipboard to Merlin.

“Thanks.” He sighed.

“No problem, I’m Merlin by the way.”

“Arthur Pendragon.”

“So Arthur, what did you do to land yourself in this fine establishment tonight?” Merlin asked as he wrote Arthur’s name on the forms. 

“I got crosschecked at my hockey game and broke my damn collarbone.” 

“A hockey player? Professional or just for fun?” 

“NYU scholarship actually.” 

“Hmm.” Merlin nods and then tries to concentrate on the paperwork and not on Arthur’s stunning blue eyes.

“Um, date of birth?”

“What?” Arthur gives Merlin a confused look until he holds up the form to remind Arthur what they’re doing.

“Oh, yeah. 5/5/1991” 

“So you’re 23?” Arthur nods. “ Ok, social security number?

The two continue on like this until the paperwork is all filled out and Merlin knows more about Arthur than he ever wanted to know about a stranger. Merlin offers to take the paperwork back to the desk because Arthur looks far worse than he’s been letting on and because he want’s to save the poor receptionist from another tirade. 

“You’re 23, you play hockey at NYU, your allergic to Penicillin and you have a sister named Morgana. I feel like I know more about you than I do most of my mates.” Merlin laughs as he sits back down in his seat.

“And yet I know next to nothing about you. How is that fair?”  
Merlin laughs again. “Well I’m from a small village called Ealdor. I moved to London to attend university and got a job working for a Catering to the Masses, it’s a catering company. Then I moved to New York last year when the company offered me a promotion to district manager in their new location.” 

“Catering? So you can cook?” Arthur asked with a slight twinkle in his eye.

“No I’m not a chef. I handle the business side of things: Meeting with clients, arranging appointments, hiring, firing, creating a budget, negotiating with suppliers, handling payroll, stuff like that. Though my pastry chef Gwaine has taken it upon himself to teach me every recipe known to man that involves apples.”

“Apples?”

“Yep. I can make apple pie, apple fritters, apple popcorn balls, wine-poached apples, apple cake, apple cider doughnuts, apple turnovers, apple pancakes, apple-cheddar fondue, and so on.” 

“I’ve never even heard of some of those things.”

“Maybe we’ll have to get together sometime so you can experience “the wonder that is the apple” Gwaine’s words.” Merlin realized too late that that sounded like he was asking Arthur out. 

“Maybe. What’s your number?” Arthur grinned cheekily. 

“Merlin Emrys the doctor will see you now.” A bored voice called out startling Merlin from his current state of shock. He quickly wrote his mobile number on a torn off page from a magazine and handed it to Arthur before following the nurse back to one of the exam rooms. 

 

…

 

Arthur sat and stared at his phone for an hour before finally working up the courage to dial the number. It had been two days since that horribly perfect night in the ER and he hoped he’d waited the proper amount of time before calling. Merlin answered on the third ring.

“Hello?” 

“Um, hi. This is um, Arthur. From the hospital the other night.” Arthur cringed at how pathetic and awkward he sounded. 

“Arthur, yeah I remember. How’s the collarbone?”

“It hurts like hell but they gave me some strong pain killers and it should heal in no time.”

“That’s good, the sooner you heal the sooner you can get back to hockey.”

“Yeah . . . “ Arthur couldn’t think of what to say next.

“Well . . . that’s great Arthur, um.” Arthur cut him off before he could finish his sentence. 

“Listen Merlin I didn’t call to talk about my stupid injury. I wanted to know if maybe you’d like to go for coffee of something?”

“Yes.” Merlin answered too quickly. “Um I mean, that sounds nice. When do you want to go?”

Arthur smiled to himself. “Does tomorrow work for you? I know a great place just a few blocks from campus if you want to meet up.”

“Tomorrow sounds fine give me the time and an address.”

After relaying the information they said goodbye and hung up. Arthur tried not to show just how excited he was especially when his roommate Perce walked into the room. 

 

. . . 

 

Merlin sat at a small table in the corner of the café while he waited for Arthur to show up. He was starting to worry that he’d been stood up when the blond walked through the door with a beautiful brunette. They had obviously been arguing and Arthur did not look pleased with whatever the woman was saying. The second he spotted Merlin though his stormy expression lightened a fraction and he walked over in long, graceful, strides. 

“Merlin, I’m so sorry I’m late my sister showed up unannounced ten minutes before I was supposed to leave and demanded I take her out to lunch.” He threw a glare at the woman staring at the menu posted on the far wall. 

“It’s alright. If you like we can reschedule.” Merlin offered feeling a little disappointed. 

“No, if it’s alright with you she can join us and after we’re done eating and she’s talked your ear off we can ditch her and maybe go to a movie or something?” Arthur sounded so hopeful that Merlin couldn’t let him down.

“Ok, sure.”

After Arthur introduced Morgana and Merlin the three sat and had a nice chat while they waited for their food. Upon learning that Merlin managed a catering company Morgana immediately set up an appointment to talk about the possibility of him catering her wedding. 

“Fantastic!” Morgana exclaimed as she took Merlin’s business card and promised to see him within the next few days. She had her phone to her ear and was calling her fiancé before either of the men really understood what was going on. 

“We’re going to be wonderful friends Merlin.” She crooned as she walked out the door with her lunch in one hand and her phone in the other.

“I guess that means we don’t have to do the ditching.” Arthur mused.

“Maybe she realized she was intruding on what was supposed to be a date?” Merlin offered.

“So this is a date?” Arthur asked with a smile.

“You’re the one who asked you tell me.”

“Definitely a date.”

The two men smiled at each other over their meals and proceeded to talk about everything and anything. 

“You never told me how you got that lovely gash across your forehead.” Arthur said as they walked out of the café. 

Merlin blushed and tried to avoid Arthur’s eyes. “It’s really embarrassing and stupid.” He mumbled.

“All the more reason to tell me.”

“I was supposed to be supervising my staff at one of our events, it was a party for a ballet school, and they’d just won some type of award for the best junior dance performance or something like that. Everything with the food seemed to be going ok and I didn’t really have anything to do so I was talking to some of the kids and one little girl, she couldn’t have been more than five years old, asked me to dance with her. Half way through the dance my feet decided to introduce my face to the dance floor.” Arthur burst out laughing at the horrified look that crossed Merlin’s face.

“It’s not that funny. That poor little girl was traumatized when she saw how badly I was bleeding.” Merlin grimaced at the memory.

Arthur did his best to stifle the laughter. “I’m sorry that sounds terrible. I hope you’re head is ok.” He snickered. 

“You’re a prat.” Merlin smiled. In all honesty he couldn’t blame Arthur for laughing it was pretty funny.

“I’d like to see you again.” Arthur said as soon as he’d controlled his laughter.

“I’d like that.”


End file.
